mill rate – KNOM Radio Missionhttp://www.knom.org/wp
780 AM | 96.1 FM | Yours for Western AlaskaFri, 16 Mar 2018 23:55:13 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.459285469City Council Approves School Funds, Mill Rate Decrease, and Seaside’s Permit Renewalhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/05/23/city-council-approves-school-funds-mill-rate-decrease-and-seasides-permit-renewal/
Tue, 23 May 2017 23:18:13 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=29424An ordinance that would have amended City code to include ice removal along with snow removal on City sidewalks was in the second reading phase when Councilman Gerald Brown suggested limiting the ordinance to specific areas. After rejecting that motion, the Council then deliberated on the matter of “junk motor vehicles.”]]>

Per resolution, Nome’s City Council will contribute $2.5 million to Nome Public Schools for fiscal year 2018. The Council voted unanimously in support of giving NPS about $1.35 million in addition to the State-mandated $1.1 million.

During last night’s regular meeting, the Council took care of two pieces of old business; one failed and one passed. An ordinance that would have amended City code to include ice removal along with snow removal on City sidewalks was in the second reading phase when Councilman Gerald Brown suggested limiting the ordinance to specific areas.

“There was a lot of discussion at the last meeting about an undue burden on residential and that kind of stuff,” Brown said. “I want to take out the requirement for everybody on Seppala and the few places around town that have little bits of sidewalk, just in front of somebody’s house (like on Steadman).”

Brown’s proposed amendment failed; then, a vote was taken on the original ordinance regarding snow and ice removal, which came down to a tie-breaking vote from Nome’s Mayor.

After rejecting that motion, the Council then deliberated on the matter of “junk motor vehicles.” All six Councilmen voted in favor of transferring the same definition of a junk motor vehicle from Title 5 of the Nome Code Ordinances to Title 18 of the Code. A junk motor vehicle is defined as any discarded, dismantled, wrecked, scrapped, or mined motor vehicle or parts thereof with additional stipulations.

In other business, all ordinances having to do with City budgets for FY ’18 were passed on to the second reading phase. With little discussion, the Council also lowered the City’s mill rate from 11 mills to 10.

One of the last pieces of business before the Council was an application to renew Seaside’s correctional facility permit. John Handeland spoke up as a public citizen in favor of Seaside.

“It’s twenty years ago that this facility was first authorized,” Handeland recalled. “At that time, it was quite a contentious issue in the community. I think we have twenty years of history showing that it has been a benefit, not a deterrent, to the City, to the region and our residents, and I hope that it will continue to do so.”

Besides approving Seaside’s permit renewal, members of the Council also hinted at possible collaboration between the City and inmates at Seaside.

Councilman Mark Johnson asked, “was there a way to ask them if we can, as a City, work with them to utilize their inmates for some more of our things, such as sidewalk cleaning? Because I think, having worked with inmates before personally, myself, they really appreciate the chance to go do those things for one thing, and they like to help the community. It’s a good service thing for them, and it really would benefit our purposes.”

At this time, it is unclear if any cooperative agreement will be struck between Seaside and the City in the near future. Nome’s City Council will convene again for their next regular meeting on June 12th at City Hall.

]]>29424First Reading of Fiscal Year ’18 Budgets On City Council’s Agendahttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/05/22/first-reading-of-fiscal-year-18-budgets-on-city-councils-agenda/
Mon, 22 May 2017 21:42:36 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=29417Through a resolution, Nome's City Council could determine how much money it’s going to contribute to Nome Public Schools this year.]]>

After being tabled during the last regular meeting, Nome’s City Council will again deliberate on an ordinance regarding snow and ice removal on City sidewalks. Another ordinance that could be passed tonight would amend the Nome code of ordinances to include the definition of a junk motor vehicle.

To commence tonight’s meeting, the Council will discuss seven different budgetary requests during a work session, including a mini excavator, a tractor trailer, and a side dump.

Also on the agenda are eight new ordinances, mostly regarding City of Nome budgets for fiscal year 2018. Through a resolution, the Council could determine how much money it’s going to contribute to Nome Public Schools this year.

In other business, the Mill rate for the City of Nome could be lowered this year, if the Council passes a resolution to reduce the rate from 11 mills to 10. Before the meeting adjourns, a public hearing will be held on Geo Care’s application to renew its correctional facility permit for Seaside.

Tonight’s regular meeting begins at 7pm, immediately following the conclusion of a 6pm work session.

]]>29417City Council to Review School Board Budget and Property Tax Hikehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/05/23/city-council-to-review-school-board-budget-and-property-tax-hike/
Mon, 23 May 2016 19:04:38 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22995Two resolutions are up for a vote tonight at the Nome City Council meeting - municipal funding for the Nome School District and a proposed increase in the 2016 mill rate. ]]>

Two resolutions are up for a vote tonight at the Nome City Council meeting – municipal funding for the Nome School District and a proposed increase in the 2016 mill rate.

The Nome School Board formally approved their Fiscal Year 2017 Budget in April totaling over $15 million dollars – and the Board has requested contributions from the City of Nome. The resolution on the table tonight could allocate $2,014,952 in municipal funds to the Nome School District.

Another resolution going before the City Council proposes to increase the 2016 mill rate from 11 mills back up to 12 mills from two years ago.

The mill rate is the rate at which property is taxed in the city. That means if you own property valued at $1000, you would owe $11 in taxes. If the resolution passes tonight, that amount would increase to $12.

Additional budget proposals, such as the general fund municipal budget and port budget will have their first readings tonight.

The Nome City Council meets for a work session starting at 5:30pm tonight, followed by a regular meeting at 7pm.

]]>22995Nome City Council Plans for Decrease in State Revenue Sharinghttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/05/13/nome-city-council-plans-for-decrease-in-state-revenue-sharing/
Fri, 13 May 2016 15:55:19 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22907Nome’s City Council discussed how to deal with declining revenue at its mid-day work session Thursday.]]>

Nome, Alaska — With state budget cuts looming and industry pulling out of Alaska’s Arctic, Nome’s finances are suffering.

The state passed on about $260,000 to Nome in revenue sharing in 2016, but with Alaska’s more than $3 billion deficit, city Finance Director Julie Liew thinks that will drop to $170,000 this year and could be cut even more to $100,000 in fiscal year 2018.

Liew says that’s reflected in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2017.

“The items that we could cut, we did, with quite a heavy hand,” Liew said.

Nome’s City Council discussed how to deal with declining revenue at its mid-day work session Thursday. One thing that’s nearly certain is that the mill rate will jump from 11 to 12 in fiscal year 2017. That’s the amount of tax payable per dollar added on to a resident’s property value.

The City Council will meet for another budget work session at 7pm on Wednesday, May 18th. The jump in mill rate will be set at the council’s next regular meeting scheduled for Monday, May 23rd.

]]>22907Property Tax Cut for Nome? City Council Mulls Mill Rate Drop During Budget Discussionhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/05/27/property-tax-cut-for-nome-city-council-mulls-mill-rate-drop-during-budget-discussion/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/05/27/property-tax-cut-for-nome-city-council-mulls-mill-rate-drop-during-budget-discussion/#commentsWed, 27 May 2015 22:48:42 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=16551The Nome City Council is considering a drop in property taxes, down to 11 mills, a tax break valued at more than $275,000.]]>

Could Nome property taxes go down? At last week’s city council work session on draft budgets for the new fiscal year, Nome City Manager Josie Bahnke told the council there are few fiscal surprises when it comes to the coming year, and overall, Nome is in good financial shape.

“There’s nothing really that remarkable about this budget,” Bahnke said. “I guess that’s the message, our ship is moving forward, we’re all paddling very hard, and we’re doing a great job.”

Good enough, some council members concluded, to entertain the idea in a drop in property taxes. The proposed drop be down to 11 mills (down from 12), a tax break valued at $275,219 on the city’s ledgers. The mill rate is a percentage of a given piece of property’s dollar value, as assessed by the city and collected as property tax. In the past year, with a mill rate of 12, the City of Nome collected roughly $3.06 million in property taxes

“We’re looking at a potential finish [in the black] this year,” said council member Randy Pomeranz. “I would say I’d like to see us drop down to at least 11, for the mill [rate]. And the other thing I’d like to explore is that preschool teacher situation.”

Funding the pre-K job was left “in the parking lot,” however, in favor of discussing possibilities for increasing revenue should the property tax rate drop. Along with a list of possible fee increases, including ambulance calls and various administrative and facility fees, City Manager Bahnke gave just one example of where a small rate increase could bring in extra cash: the city land fill.

“If we were to look at raising anything, I would make sure it is tied to a value of service. For example, our landfill bills are at $12.50 a month to have the privilege of putting trash in the landfill. And that’s been since 1998. And if we were to raise it to $15, for example, the city could realize another $100,000 [in revenue].”

But all the talk of property tax cuts, school funding, and fees was just that—talk. The council will meet for one more work session on the city’s budget, Thursday night at 7 p.m., to take another look at city finances before submitting a final budget.